Author

Defense Date

Document Type

Degree Name

Department

Media, Art, and Text

First Advisor

Dr. Ernest Martin

Second Advisor

Dr. Eric Garberson

Third Advisor

Dr. Yan Jin

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Marcus Messner

Fifth Advisor

Dr. Yuan Zhang

Abstract

A 3 (crisis response strategy) x 3 (medium) factorial design experiment was conducted to determine if information graphics conveyed through online news sources may be more beneficial for organizational reputations during some crisis situations than the use of news videos and text-based news stories. Variables examined include cognitive and affective appraisal, third-person effect, behavioral response and crisis response strategy.

Recent research in organizational crisis communications has pointed to the fact that more information is needed regarding how individuals react cognitively and affectively to crisis communications. Current crisis communications literature is also sparse concerning the behavioral aspects of crisis message reception and social media usage. This study addressed these concerns and built on the established framework of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT).